


Wait, You Don't Hate Me?

by Fortissimo_ssb



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Enemies to Friends, F/F, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power Season 4 Spoilers, first fic wheeeeeeee
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-02
Updated: 2019-12-02
Packaged: 2021-02-17 21:42:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21650230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fortissimo_ssb/pseuds/Fortissimo_ssb
Summary: Catra and Glimmer are stuck on Horde Prime's ship together, but things go better than expected.
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra), Catra/Glimmer (She-Ra)
Comments: 19
Kudos: 218





	Wait, You Don't Hate Me?

**Author's Note:**

> Heyyyyyyy, I'm new here. This is the first fic I've ever posted so uhhhhhhhhh I hope you like it!! Season 4 Spoiler warning.

Catra’s whole body ached.

Just moving it around in this state made it feel like she weighed twice as much as usual, or she was just made of brick. Running for her across the entire Fright Zone as Hordak fired his dumb arm-cannon with no regard for the destruction he was causing to his own home would do that. Every movement was punished with pain that ranged from a dull throb to excruciating depending on what her mind decided to focus on. She was also exhausted. Probably from the running thing, but more likely because she hadn’t gotten more than a couple hours of sleep at a time since… jeez, months ago? A year? It probably wouldn’t have taken long to pinpoint an exact time, but doing that would mean bringing forth a very unpleasant subject for her.

And now she was… where, exactly? Outer space, another galaxy, another universe? This whole situation was so confusing. One moment she was in the Fright Zone, Double Trouble standing over her, laying all her demons and insecurities at her feet in a fashion that was so them, Catra had to admit, even if their brief speech/intervention had so very nearly caused her self-hatred to consume her there and then. Then, Princess Sparkles had taken the shapeshifter’s place--or Queen Sparkles, whatever--staff aimed at the Force Captain, numbed and helpless, resigned to whatever fate the queen of Bright Moon decided for her. But before Glimmer could deal the final blow--if she even could, typical princess--some weird green light blinded her and when she opened her eyes, she found herself in the presence of Horde Prime himself. 

Her instincts took over then, and she ducked behind the first cover she found, somehow evading Horde Prime's gaze. Queen Sparkles had also ended up here, and she wasn't as lucky, or as mobile, as the cat hybrid. Horde Prime had her cheek in his hand, and her magic didn't appear to be working. The queen of Bright Moon was helpless and Horde Prime was ruthless. Catra could've just watched her die.

Could've watched Glimmer perish right before her eyes.

Glimmer would've died.

Adora's new best friend. Catra's replacement. Catra tried to imagine Adora's reaction to hearing that Glimmer was dead. 

DAMMIT!!

"You don't want to do that." The words fell from her lips before she really knew what she was doing. They felt so loud to her own ears she was sure the entire fleet heard her. Everyone turned to her and she swallowed any fear she might have had and stepped forward, informing Horde Prime about the weapon her home planet was hiding, and the princess' part in activating it. That had been enough for the warlord to spare both their lives, stating ominously that, "Everyone has a purpose in service of Horde Prime."

Catra let out a long, shaky breath that she felt like she had been holding in all day as she leaned back on her hands on her bed. Despite all the trouble it got her in in the past--as well as very recently--her impulsiveness, combined with her quick thinking, had at least momentarily earned both her and Queen Sparkles their lives, as well as decent sleeping quarters. They were surely quite mundane compared to the queen's no doubt disgustingly lavish bedroom at Bright Moon, but they were better than a prison cell, or a grave. 

A splitting pain behind her eyes caused her to squeeze her eyes shut and pinch the bridge of her nose. Probably from her lack of sleep, that could cause headaches, right? Where did she hear that from? Probably Scorpia or Entrapta--dammit, don't think about them now! She ran her fingers through her mane and breathed out slowly through her nose. It won't do to have a mental breakdown in the heart of enemy territory. 

A knocking on her door caused her to jump off the bed. Standing in her doorway (how did she leave her door open?) with an unreadable expression was the queen of glitter herself. Catra pushed down her anxiety with a huff and did her best to keep her voice level. "What do you want?"

Glimmer rolled her eyes and sighed. "You look terrible."

Catra's eye twitched. Really? That's how we're starting this conversation? "Well, getting chased around the Fright Zone by Hordak for an hour and then getting teleported to some crazy warlord's throne room will do that to a girl." And that wasn't even the half of it, Sparkles. 

Glimmer chuckled and looked down at her boots. "Yeah, I guess it would."

Catra's eyes narrowed. This is not how she expected this interaction to go. Although, to be fair, she didn't expect their interaction back in the Fright Zone to go the way it did either, with Glimmer staring down at Catra with hatred, but the hate had faded quickly. She carefully studied the pink-haired girl. Her expression was similar to the one not too long ago, mostly confused and conflicted, but also… sympathetic? The thought almost made Catra sick. She didn’t deserve sympathy, she was a monster.

“Why are you here?” she repeated.

“Well, the only reason I could be here is because you saved my life.”

“Don’t get cute with me, glitter queen,” Catra growled through gritted teeth.

Glimmer sighed again, not meeting her mismatched eyes. She didn’t speak for a long time, and Catra thought, hoped maybe, that she might leave. Finally, she spoke slowly, just above a whisper, “...Why did you tell me that? Back at the Fright Zone.” 

What are you waiting for? Do it.   
I guess we're both alone now… Sparkles.  
Catra’s own words reverberated so loud in her head she thought Glimmer might hear them. She clenched her fists and stared at the ground. Because I was done causing pain and destruction, and if anyone deserved to finish me, it was you. Those words stuck out in her mind, but she dared not to say them. Instead, she deflected (Typical Catra, she thought coldly). “Why didn’t you do it? You had your sworn enemy at your feet, a golden opportunity.”

“Because you already looked dead.”

Catra jerked her head up to look at the queen of Bright Moon. Her breath stuck in her throat, but she maintained her glare. There was that look again, sympathy, why was she looking at her like that?! Catra’s silence let Glimmer continue.

“You were supposed to be the Horde’s best commander, you helped conquer nearly all of Etheria, you had Hordak crushed under a beam!” Glimmer was waving her hands around, and Catra felt herself step back. “You were my greatest enemy, and yet, there you were, with seemingly everything you’ve ever wanted, looking like about as alive as one of the Horde’s bots.” Glimmer’s gaze was hard, yet soft at the same time, almost like she was trying not to scare Catra away. “What happened to you?” 

Catra’s eyes darted around the room, looking for anything she could look at that wasn’t Glimmer. A million thoughts raced through her head, but nothing forced its way past her lips. Double Trouble managed to shatter my entire facade in a few sentences. I realized that I pushed everyone that has ever showed me any kindness away, but not until it was far too late. I realized that I don’t even know what I want anymore. All the faces Double Trouble had worn during their “intervention” “for her own good” raced through her thoughts. They had all thought of her as a friend. They had all cared for her, shown her kindness and support. And she had pushed them all away, treated them like dirt. Scorpia was right, she was a bad friend. Jeez, she was a mess. 

“Catra?” Glimmer’s face was now twisted in concern. Catra wanted to vomit.

“What?” she sniffed.

“You’re crying.”

Reaching up to wipe the corners of her eyes revealed that, crap, she was, when had that happened? Gods, she was pathetic. She told herself no breakdowns in enemy territory, and all it took was Glitter Queen to walk in and NOT hate her for her to be a snuffling wreak. “I realized I’m a monster.” she finally responded. 

The pink eyes across from her widened in shock. Words spilled from Catra’s mouth, her very soul, she couldn’t stop them. “I hurt everyone who cares about me, I destroy everything I touch, I almost destroyed the world just because I wanted to win! Everyone who has ever been my friend left me and it’s my fault!” Her voice cracked and then shattered, reaching a hysterically desperate pitch. A sob leapt from her throat. “Why are you looking at me like that? I killed your mom! Why don’t you hate me?!” 

“Do you want me to hate you?” Glimmer asked.

“Yes! I deserve it. I killed your mom…” Catra couldn’t scream anymore. She was so tired. “Everyone on Etheria should hate me. It’ll be easier that way. Then no one will miss me.” The last words came out as barely a croak.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Glimmer was suddenly very close and Catra stumbled back onto the bed in surprise. Catra just stared.

“Uh…”

“Answer me Catra. What are you talking about? Are you just giving up?” Glimmer’s eyes were angry, but it was a different kind of angry. It was more like disappointment. “You’re Force Captain Catra! We had never heard of you until we met Adora, and then a month later, you were Hordak’s second in command. You almost destroyed Bright Moon, you’ve outsmarted us so many times! If the whole Heart of Etheria thing hadn’t happened, the Horde probably would’ve conquered Etheria, and I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t be because of Hordak.” That small bit of praise almost made Catra smirk, unfortunately, the overwhelming weight of the blanket of shame now covering her was way heavier than any small bit of strength her pride could muster. “You’re strong, and cunning, and brilliant. Why just give up?”

Catra exhaled, then inhaled shakily. She felt her claws dig in to the sheets she was sitting on.  
“Because no matter how hard I try, no matter what I achieve, I never win, and I never get any of the credit, so what’s the point?” She spat out the last word. She felt a hand on her arm and instinctively tensed up. In any other situation with almost anyone else, she would have pulled away or lashed out with teeth and claws, probably both. But now, as fatigued as she was with someone she was so sure hated her showing her a type of compassion she hadn’t felt before, all she could do was freeze. 

“The point is you don’t have to try by yourself anymore.” Glimmer lowered her voice and checked over her shoulders in case anyone was listening. “You’re my best shot at getting out of here, so I won’t leave you behind.” 

Catra nearly choked on the lump in her throat. “You… you won’t leave me?” she managed to squeak out. She hated how pathetic she sounded.

Glimmer gave her a smile. “I promise. We will survive, we will get back home, we will stop Horde Prime, and we will save Etheria.” Catra stared into the same pink, glittery eyes that used to disgust her and found that she was filled with an emotion she had not felt in the longest time: hope. A hope that made her loosen her death grip on the sheets, a hope that let her see some way out of this massive crater she had dug herself, a hope that let her smile, despite everything that had happened. She closed her eyes and let out a sigh of relief.

“Thanks, Sparkles.”

Glimmer smirked and stepped back, rolling her eyes. “Still not going to say my name, huh? Whatever, I’m glad you’re back.” Yeah. Yeah, she was back. Well, maybe not quite, but she was on her way. It would be quite a climb, but eventually she would. A happier ending was in sight, unfortunately, it was obscured by an impossibly huge fleet on its way to conquer Etheria. “I guess I should thank you too. For saving me from Horde Prime.”

“Well, you didn’t kill me earlier today, so I guess we’re even now,” Catra frowned. 

“Still, thank you. Since I’m so far away from the Moonstone, my powers don’t work here.”

“Ah, so that’s it.” Duh. Makes sense. Catra slid back on the bed so she was leaning up against the wall, putting her aching feet up and leaning her head back and letting out a grunt. Man, she was tired. She noticed Glimmer look at the space to Catra’s left, then avert her eyes nervously. Catra sighed and patted the spot on the bed. Sparkle Queen hadn’t managed to annoy her too much yet, so no reason to shoo her away. Glimmer perked up at the invitation and shuffled over to take the available spot. She scooted back, pulling her knees up to her chest and looking around the simple room. 

“Well, the room’s better than nothing.”

“Yeah, it’s… yeah.” Catra withheld her earlier mental remark about Castle Bright Moon. Her tail flicked uncomfortably. One thing was still bothering her. "I don't deserve this."

"What?"

"You're being so nice to me. Even though I did so many terrible things. I just… I don't deserve your kindness."

"Yes you do." The immediate response had Catra reeling. 

"What?" Catra breathed, giving her an incredulous look. 

"Well, I mean--at least, I think you do."

"How can you say that? I'm a monster."

"Catra, do you regret anything you've done?"

The question knocked Catra flat. All she could do was stare at Glimmer as she was hit with another bombshell. Suddenly, the lump in her throat and the tightness in her chest made sense. Regret. Guilt. Those two emotions had dominated her psyche and held her heart captive for the past two hours, but she had never really acknowledged them until now. The answer to Glimmer's question was easy. "Yes. Yes, I regret everything." She wanted to say more, but Glimmer spoke first. 

"Then you're not a monster." Catra sucked in a breath.

"But… but I--" Her voice was beginning to betray her again.

"If you were a monster, you would have no regrets. You would've let Horde Prime kill me. You wouldn't be crying right now."

Catra sniffed again. "Shut up." That got Glimmer to smirk again. What she said made too much sense. Hordak had no regrets, as far as she could tell, at least. And Shadow Weaver never once showed remorse for everything she had done to Catra as a child. She was different from them. So why did she still hurt so many people? So many people she cared about? She took a deep breath like Scorpia had instructed her once. She was done crying tonight. She was too tired anyways. 

"You know…" Glimmer's voice caused her to lift her head. "Not everyone on Etheria wouldn't miss you. I can think of at least three off the top of my head that would."

Catra could probably guess who they were pretty easily, and frankly, she didn't want to. She just grunted sheepishly in response. "S-sorry about that."

"Don't worry about it." Her voice was so soft. When was the last time someone had spoken to her so gently? And with genuine kindness? "Do you feel any better?" 

"Yeah…" She did. She really did. It was amazing, really. Here were two sworn enemies who have been at each other's throats for the past few months in the same room, sitting inches apart, and genuinely enjoying each other's company. Maybe this could be the first step to redeeming herself, if that was even possible. Glimmer may have forgiven her, at least for now, but half of Etheria saw her as an evil warlord, and the other half thought of her as a cruel and unjust commanding officer. How could she possibly ask for their forgiveness? She ground her palms into her temples at the thought. "Ugh, I have a lot of people to apologize to, don't I?"

"Yeah, I definitely don’t envy you in that regard.”

“Arrghh, where do I even start?!”

“I think you’re going to have to figure that out for yourself. I’m… probably not the best person to be asking for advice on this. Apologizing is hard.”

Catra looked at her with one eyebrow raised. Glimmer avoided her gaze. “I… may have tried to find a way to harness the power of the Heart of Etheria to defeat the Horde. Even though Bow and Adora” -just that name made Catra tense up- “both warned me it would destroy the planet. They’re probably the only reason Etheria still exists. I led Horde Prime to us and almost erased Etheria entirely. So, yeah, I’ve got my own apologies to make, too, I guess.”

Catra was stunned. Pretty princess, pinky-sparkly, I’m-the-good-guy-so-I’m-always-right Glimmer, messed up almost as bad as Catra did. And Adora had to bail her out too. I guess they had something in common now. 

Adora. Adora had saved everyone. Again. Why was she not surprised at all? Usually, the idea of Adora as the big hero made her sick to her stomach, but now it was almost… tolerable. Familiar. Comforting. Huh. Well, while we’re at it… 

“Hey, how was… what was Adora like? When she joined your Rebellion?” It was an awkward sounding question, and the underlying curiosity behind it was not lost on the queen. Now it was Glimmer’s turn to look stunned. She could see the questions behind those pink eyes, but she seemed to push them aside.

“She was… stubborn, strong.” Sounds like Adora. “We were taking her prisoner and she seemed very loyal to the Horde until she saw them attack a village we were visiting. She wanted to protect the villagers no matter what.” Adora, loyal? But she left the first time she got the chance! Glimmer went on, a smile creeping onto her face as she continued. “Her first night in Bright Moon, she apparently exploded her bed and ran into my mom in the hallway, which I’m guessing was awkward. Then she snuck into my room and I woke up and found her at the foot of my bed! Scared me half to death.”

Catra chuckled before she realized what she was doing. Had she really relaxed that much?

“Apparently, she wasn’t used to sleeping alone, and also the bed was ‘too soft’ or something,” Glimmer explained. The corners of Catra’s mouth fell as she was lost in thought. Not used to sleeping alone? The bed was too soft? She was loyal to the Horde? "Hey, uh… " Catra held her breath, fearing what would come next. "What about… what was she like in the Horde?"

Catra painfully swallowed the lump in her throat. She really didn't want to think about this right now, but for some reason all the memories that had haunted her for the past forever just jumped right out of the hole in her brain she had buried them in and fell right out of her mouth. "Strong and stubborn, like you said. She was… basically the perfect soldier. Followed orders, worked hard, worked too hard if I'm being honest." Glimmer gave a snort of amusement. “She was also kinda dumb. Like, I tricked her into doing all my work for me so many times and she never learned.” Before Catra knew what was happening, they slipped into comfortable conversation, swapping Adora stories like they were old pals or something. Catra reminisced about clawing out Dumb-face Octavia’s eye and then running to Adora, Adora calling Octavia a dumb-face too, and then the two of them running away giggling down the halls of the Fright Zone. Glimmer smiled at the story, then sat up abruptly as something occurred to her.   
“Oh! Catra, I have to know. Is it true that they don’t have parties in the Horde?”  
“Um, what?”   
“Parties! You don’t know what parties are? Oh my gosh, Adora wasn’t kidding!” Glimmer had her hands on her head and her eyes wide like she just made a groundbreaking revelation.  
“Sparkles, what are you talking about?”  
“When we first met Adora, we passed through a village in the middle of a celebration and Adora looked like she had just set foot on another planet. I think that was the moment me and Bow realized just how evil the Horde was.” Glimmer flinched as she finished her thought, turning to Catra tentatively. “Sorry.”  
“No, you’re… you’re probably right…” Catra’s voice trailed off to barely a mumble. She stared at the floor, but she felt Glimmer’s gaze on her to her left.  
“Catra, do you… like the Horde?”   
Catra took a deep breath. "No." Glimmer's eyebrows went up. "I… I don't think I ever did."

"Then why did you stay?"

Catra was quiet for a time. "Because deserting would make me look weak and I felt like I needed to prove myself. I needed to prove that I wasn't just Adora's pet. I just wanted someone to acknowledge my hard work, whether it was Shadow Weaver, Hordak, I didn't care." Glimmer swallowed audibly. Catra let out a ragged sigh. "But I don't get what I want, I figured that out for myself. They just threw me in the trash like everyone else. I didn't leave because that would've made me weak, and I'm not weak, not like Adora--" Catra stopped herself, sucking in stale air through her teeth. She shifted on the bed uncomfortably, unable to avoid the incoming realization. "But I was wrong. Adora is strong. She's the strongest person I know and I'm just pitiful and weak." The former force captain's shoulders slumped and her head hung low, staring at her hands, fidgeting idly in her lap. This kind of revelation probably should have shattered her, but she's been broken so many times lately that she had no energy left, so she just sat there nimbly, waiting for Glimmer to give up on her and leave. But, for some reason, she didn't. 

"Well, you're half right." Catra's ears twitched, but she didn't look up. “Adora's definitely the strongest out of all of us, no argument there." A white fingerless-gloved hand rested on her arm and she flinched, but didn't pull away, instead looking back into the pink irises next to her. "But you are not pitiful or weak. You’ve just made some bad decisions. Okay, well, a LOT of bad decisions. But I can’t have you feeling sorry for yourself now. We’re gonna need strong Catra if we want to get back home.”

Home.

Where even was home at this point? Did Catra still have one? Did she ever have one? Yes, she did once. Adora. The stupid blonde was the only home she had ever known, but she probably had a better chance settling in with those robo-spiders from the First Ones temples. The cat-girl averted her eyes again. Glimmer was still staring at her, seeming to sense Catra’s inner dilemma. “You don’t have anywhere to go, do you?” The queen of Bright Moon mumbled matter-of-factly, as if thinking aloud. Catra huffed in dry amusement.

“Well, I’ve made an enemy out of just about everyone on Etheria, so no, not really.”

“I could take you back to Bright Moon.”

Catra refused to look her way, expecting Glimmer to be smirking cruelly at whatever small ping of hope she found on Catra’s scratched face. No way in hell would she give Sparkles that pleasure, even if it was the least she deserved.

“Hey, I’m serious.”

“Do you think I’m stupid, Glitter Queen?”

“You are if you don’t believe me!”

Catra gritted her teeth and glared into determined pink pools of glitter and sparkles, a growl rising to her throat, but she forced it back down. No, she told herself, you can be better. Don’t push away another act of kindness. Her mismatched eyes softened, but a shadow of doubt still loomed. “I doubt many people in Bright Moon would be happy to see me.”

“Well, Scorpia would be there.”

“Really?!” Catra shot up off the wall to stare at Glimmer with wide eyes, who raised her eyebrows in surprise.

“Yeah, she was staying with us right before…” -Glimmer gestured with outstretched arms- “this happened.” Catra felt herself smiling out of pure hope, but her last interaction with the scorpion princess sent her heart right back down into her stomach.

You’re a bad friend.

Catra fell back against the wall, fighting yet another stinging sensation in her eyes. “No, I don’t think she wants to see me.”

Glimmer leaned forward to get a good look at her. “What happened between you two?”

Catra gave the most humorless laugh of all time. “What happened? The same thing that always happened. I pushed her away, I was a bad friend. She told me that to my face.”

Glimmer took some time to respond, processing what she had heard. “I don’t think she’s totally given up on you.” Catra didn’t say anything. “When she joined us, she asked us not to hurt you. She still cares about you.” Catra raised her head slightly. Glimmer turned toward the former force captain. “And…” she took a moment to choose her words carefully. Slowly, she continued, “And you may choose not to believe me, but Adora still cares about you too.” 

Catra flinched and Glimmer tensed, expecting a flash of claws or fangs, but none came. The room seemed too quiet now, she could hear Catra’s shallow breaths. Finally, the cat-girl spoke.

“Don’t talk about her like you know her like I did.” Several cracks in her voice betrayed her crumbling composure (although, let’s be honest, we were well past staying composed by now). Glimmer kept her gaze hard. 

“You’re right, I don’t know her like you did. But at the same time, you don’t know her like I do.”

Catra whirled around with raging fire in her eyes, ready to claw those pink, glittery eyes out then and there. How DARE she?! I grew up with Adora, she was my best friend! Do you really think you can just walk in take that from me? After I’ve already lost everything?!

But the eyes staring back at Catra held no challenge or threat. “You grew up with her in the Horde. You were best friends. You have a special bond that I don’t think I’ve ever seen before. But Adora, Bow and I have fought in more battles together than I can count, saved each others lives so many times. So, please, believe me when I say that she still does care about you, even after everything that’s happened.” 

Adora. Adora Adora Adora Adora Adora Adora Adora.

Gods, Catra was exhausted. 

The cat-girl pulled her knees up and buried her face in her arms. She made no noise, she had no strength left to at this point. All she could do was let the tears fall and stain her sleeves. She felt the bed move as a weight was lifted from it. Without thinking, she choked out a desperate cry.

“Glimmer!”

Silence.

… 

“Please… stay.”

___________________

Catra’s whole body ached. It screamed, really. Everything hurt so much. Fighting her way off a crazy warlord’s flagship would do that. Each step felt like dragging a thousand pounds behind her while carrying another thousand pounds on her shoulders. They were almost there though. Each step was that much closer to safety. To comfort. To home.

To Adora.

Glimmer had her arm over her shoulder, leaning on the cat-girl for support. She wasn’t as used to this much prolonged exertion as the former force captain. Catra would normally give her grief for it, but she was too exhausted herself, and distracted by the light at the end of their tunnel. They were so close now. A guard spotted them as they approached the gates of castle Bright Moon and darted inside to deliver the news to whoever waited inside. A pang of anxiety suddenly shot through Catra. 

What if Adora wasn’t here? What if she was off on a mission and wouldn’t be back for days, weeks? What if she was dead? What if she was alive, but didn’t want to see Catra? She wasn’t sure which was scarier.

Footsteps from around the corner alerted her more sensitive ears to the small army of princesses no doubt tripping over themselves to be the first to welcome their sparkly queen back to her kingdom. First around the corner was Arrow Boy, he was her best friend, wasn’t he? Then came Flower Girl, the literal child she once had to call “Renowned Hostess,” Gloomy Mermaid Girl and her dumbass boyfriend, Scorpia (she looked away immediately), Entrapta (How had they found her?), and… 

A poof of blond hair stuck out from towards the back of the group and Catra froze. She heard Glimmer let out a sob and push off from her to embrace her friends in a tearful group hug. Catra’s eyes were trained elsewhere. The group hug eventually dispersed to let each individual get their own hug in. Catra barely registered what was happening around her. The sky-blue eyes she that had both haunted and comforted her in her dreams had found hers and refused to look away. Even as Glimmer hugged her, Adora kept her eyes on Catra. A surge of hope overtook the brunette and she felt herself walking forward, all the pain of movement a distant itch she could scratch later. The anxiety that had been brewing in her gut now swirled around violently, but she couldn’t stop now. She needed Adora, needed her warmth, her love, whatever that might be. 

Adora pulled herself out of Glimmer’s arms and moved both eagerly and hesitantly towards Catra. Catra felt tears at the corners of her eyes and accepted that she wouldn’t be able to stop them. She pushed herself towards her ex-best friend and let herself be crushed by her embrace. It should’ve hurt, her body was so sore and fatigued that any contact would make her hiss in pain, but this just felt so nice, so right. 

The dam broke wide open. 

She buried her face in Adora’s shoulder and wailed. If the Catra from a month ago saw her now, she would call her weak and pathetic, but Catra was done thinking like that. It had caused her nothing but pain and she was tired of hurting. Tired of hating. And the girl she had probably hurt the most was now clinging to her like she was a lifeline. She really did care. After everything, she still cared about her, still believed she could change. 

“I’m sorry,” Catra sobbed, and she was. Gods, was she sorry. She repeated those words into the same red jacket she used to cling to back in the Horde, staining it with her tears, desperately hoping that if she said it enough and cried enough, it would make up for everything she had done. She felt the jacket shake in her grip and heard soft sobs close to her ear. Dammit Adora, you can’t start crying too!

“Me too, I’m sorry too,” she heard Adora whisper as she felt her bury her nose in her mane. They both stood there for what felt like an eternity whispering apologies to each other, afraid that if they let go, they would drift apart again.

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave kudos and comments it'll make me feel nice and fuzzy inside


End file.
